Latest News

Latest news, media and events

The Family Action Centre is regularly featured in local, state and national news. Full reporting details are available from the University's Media Unit.

Director Judi Geggie on ABC Radio National's 2020 Forum: Ideas into Action

On 19 April 2008, FAC Director Judi Geggie was an invited panellist on ABC Radio National's Breakfast Forum, hosted by Geraldine Doogue. Other participants included Julian Disney (Convenor, Neighbours Program, UNSW Chair, National Affordable Housing Summit National Chair, Anti-Poverty Week), Suzie Barnett (Executive Director Green Building Council of Australia), Eva Abal (Scientific Coordinator South East Queensland's Healthy Waterways Partnership), Bernie Hobbs (ABC Science Broadcaster) and James O'Loghlin (Presenter ABC 1 New Inventors). To see a transcript of the show, follow this link to the ABC Radio National web site.

We also produce a regular electronic newsletter in order to keep people up to date with the latest Family Action Centre activities. (If you'd like to receive this newsletter, simply email Camilla McQualter  with your details.)

eNewsletter: back issues

March 2008

December 2007

October 2007

April 2007

June 2008: "One year on: Disaster planning for park communities"

As the Hunter and Central Coast communities mark the first anniversary of the June 2007 storms, a new initiative that aims to better prepare a unique group of residents with the knowledge and strategies needed to better cope with natural disasters.

The Family Action Centre project will help residential parks develop disaster management plans in the event of storms, floods and bushfires. It includes an audit of the Hunter region's 50 caravan parks and manufactured home villages that will identify the impact of the June storms on residential parks to determine strategies for future events.

Community Research Team Leader Dr Graeme Stuart said many parks in the region were affected by the storms, but the extent of the impact was unknown. Download a copy of the media release now, or contact Dr Stuart by email  or phone (02 4921 7241).

November 2006
Paul Schott, Manager of the FAC's Projects and Operations unit, facilitated a forum discussing the upper Hunter Valley's accommodation problems. Coverage included the Singleton Argus and the Hunter Valley News.

The Bathurst branch of Home-Start was recently featured in the Bathurst Western Times.

October 2006
A paper by Richard Fletcher, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, covered the issue of post-natal depression in men. The paper generated coverage in the Newcastle Herald (three articles), the Sydney Sun Herald and the Ballan News.

The inaugural Australian Rock & Water conference was held at Newcastle City Hall on 16 October 2006. (You can visit the FAC conference page for background, or buy Bringing It Together, the book of the conference papers.) The conference gained extensive coverage, including the Barrier_Daily_Truth, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, the Newcastle Herald (three articles), the Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Post, the Sydney Sun Herald (two articles) and Sydneys Child.

September 2006
The Hon Mal Brough MP, Commonwealth Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, congratulated the Father-Inclusive Practice Framework website, which was launched on Fathers Day. The website is an outcome of the 2005 Father-Inclusive Practice Forum, organised by the Family Action Centre's Engaging Fathers Program and co-sponsored by the Department of Families, Community Services and Ingigenous Affairs.

"Once again," Mr Brough stated in his press release, "congratulations on the Father-Inclusive Practice Framework website as an initiative to enhance fathers' involvement in their children's lives." Articles appeared in the Newcastle Herald and the Maitland Mercury.

Annual Report
The Family Action Centre produces an annual report which clearly describes our vision, goals and achievements in each calendar year. Our 2006 Annual Report and  2004-05 Annual Report are both available for download as a PDF or, to obtain a hard copy, contact the FAC on 02 4921 6403.